Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση. - At the old cinema in the neighborhood they often screen classic movies without advertising.

σινεμά – very common, informal, comes from French cinéma. In practice, it’s almost always neuter and invariable (same form in singular and plural).
κινηματογράφος – more formal or old-fashioned; also used for cinema as an art form.

In this context (a neighborhood movie theater), σινεμά sounds natural and colloquial, like “the movie theater” or just “the cinema” in everyday English.

You could say:

Στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς… (more informal, everyday)
Στον παλιό κινηματογράφο της γειτονιάς… (slightly more formal/old-fashioned tone)

Meaning-wise, here they’re equivalent.

What does της γειτονιάς mean literally, and what case is it?

της γειτονιάς is in the genitive singular.

γειτονιά = neighborhood (feminine noun)
της = of the (feminine, singular, genitive)
γειτονιάς = of neighborhood

So το σινεμά της γειτονιάς = the cinema of the neighborhood → naturally translated as the neighborhood cinema or the local cinema.

The genitive here shows possession or association, like:

το σπίτι της Μαρίας = Maria’s house
το πάρκο της πόλης = the city’s park / the city park

Why is the adjective παλιό placed before σινεμά? Can it come after?

In Greek, adjectives most commonly go before the noun:

το παλιό σινεμά = the old cinema

This is the neutral, standard word order.

You can put the adjective after the noun in some structures, but usually you then repeat the article:

το σινεμά το παλιό

This can sound more emphatic or more descriptive, like saying “the cinema, the old one” in English. It’s less neutral, more like pointing it out or contrasting it with some other cinema.

So for ordinary description, το παλιό σινεμά is what you want.

What is the subject of προβάλλουν? There is no noun before it.

Grammatically, προβάλλουν is 3rd person plural (they show / they screen). Greek often leaves the subject implicit because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

Here, there is an understood subject like:

(εκεί) προβάλλουν… = (there) they show / they screen…
→ meaning “the people who run the cinema” or “the cinema (as an institution)” screens them.

So the subject is not stated, but understood from context, just like English informal “They say it’s going to rain,” where “they” is vague.

How is προβάλλουν formed, and what tense is it?

προβάλλουν is:

Verb: προβάλλω = to project / to screen / to show (a film, image)
Person/number: 3rd person plural = they
Tense: present, active voice
Mood: indicative

Present indicative of προβάλλω:

(εγώ) προβάλλω – I screen
(εσύ) προβάλλεις – you screen
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) προβάλλει – he/she/it screens
(εμείς) προβάλλουμε – we screen
(εσείς) προβάλλετε – you (pl./formal) screen
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) προβάλλουν(ε) – they screen

So προβάλλουν = they screen / they are screening.

What is the difference between προβάλλουν and δείχνουν?

Both can translate as they show, but:

προβάλλω – more specific to projecting or screening films, images, slides. Very natural with ταινίες (movies).
δείχνω – more general to show (something to someone), used with many kinds of objects or actions.

In a cinema context:

Προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες. – They screen classic films.
Δείχνουν κλασικές ταινίες. – They show classic films. (understandable, but προβάλλουν is more “cinema-specific”.)

Where does συχνά usually go in the sentence, and what nuance does its position give?

συχνά means often / frequently. It’s an adverb and is quite flexible in position. Common placements:

Προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες.
Συχνά προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες.
Προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες συχνά. (less typical here, but possible)

All are understandable and mean they often screen classic films.

Differences are very slight:

At the beginning (Συχνά προβάλλουν…) – emphasizes frequency first: “Often, they screen…”.
Before the object (προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες) – very natural, neutral.
At the very end – can sometimes sound a bit more informal or add soft emphasis to how often.

The sentence you gave uses προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες, which is a very standard word order.

Why is it κλασικές ταινίες and not κλασική ταινία? What are the forms here?

Because we are talking about more than one film.

ταινία – film, movie (feminine, singular)
ταινίες – films, movies (feminine, plural, accusative here as direct object)

The adjective κλασικός (classic) must agree in gender, number, and case with ταινίες:

Feminine nominative plural: κλασικές
Feminine accusative plural: also κλασικές (same form)

So:

μια κλασική ταινία – a classic film (singular)
κλασικές ταινίες – classic films (plural)

In the sentence, κλασικές ταινίες is the direct object of προβάλλουν, so it appears in the accusative plural.

Why is it χωρίς διαφήμιση (singular) and not something like χωρίς διαφημίσεις (plural)?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

χωρίς διαφήμιση – literally without advertising; talking about the concept / presence of advertising in general.
χωρίς διαφημίσεις – literally without advertisements / commercials; focusing more on individual ads.

In the context of movies:

χωρίς διαφήμιση suggests no ads at all before or during the films; they don’t have advertising.
χωρίς διαφημίσεις would emphasize no individual commercials, for example no separate ad clips.

The singular η διαφήμιση in such contexts often behaves like an uncountable mass noun, similar to English advertising.

What exactly does χωρίς mean, and how does it work grammatically?

χωρίς means without and it takes a noun in the accusative after it.

χωρίς διαφήμιση – without advertising
χωρίς ζάχαρη – without sugar
χωρίς εσένα – without you
χωρίς προβλήματα – without problems

So the structure is:

χωρίς + [accusative noun or pronoun]

Why is the article το not repeated before παλιό σινεμά inside the phrase? Could you say Στο το παλιό σινεμά?

No, Στο το παλιό σινεμά is incorrect, because στο already contains the article.

σε + το παλιό σινεμά → στο παλιό σινεμά

You only use one article:

στο παλιό σινεμά (correct)
σε το παλιό σινεμά (uncontracted, grammatical but not natural in speech)
στο το παλιό σινεμά (double article, wrong)

Why is the definite article used here (το παλιό σινεμά) instead of something like ένα παλιό σινεμά?

The definite article (το) is used because we’re talking about a specific, known cinema: the old neighborhood cinema that both speaker and listener can identify.

το παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς – the old neighborhood cinema (we know which one)
ένα παλιό σινεμά – an old cinema (any old cinema, not a particular one)

The phrase της γειτονιάς also helps specify it, so the definite article makes perfect sense: this is the particular cinema that belongs to / is in the neighborhood.

Can the word order be changed, for example: Συχνά στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση? Does it sound natural?

Yes, that word order is natural and correct.

Possible variants (all acceptable):

Στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση.
Συχνά, στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς, προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση.
Στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς συχνά προβάλλουν κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση.

Greek word order is relatively flexible, and changes of position usually affect emphasis more than grammar. Starting with Συχνά highlights the frequency (“Often, at the old neighborhood cinema, they show…”).

What is the stress pattern in the sentence, and does stress change the meaning of any word here?

Key stresses (marked with ´):

Στο παλιό σινεμά της γειτονιάς προβάλλουν συχνά κλασικές ταινίες χωρίς διαφήμιση.

Each Greek word has one main stressed syllable. In this sentence, moving the stress would either make the word incorrect or turn it into a different word in other contexts.

For example:

διαφήμιση (correct: di-a-FÍ-mi-si)
Wrong stress like διαφημ*ίση* would sound off or be treated as an error.

So correct stress is important for both understanding and being understood.